Ethan relies on top hats and magic wands to get through endless ER visits with his special needs brother. But when Jake’s latest trip to the ICU threatens to cancel Ethan’s biggest performance, he must decide whether he wants to be a master magician or “Jake’s big brother.”

Sometimes I think her favorite thing is finding new ways to ruin my life.

Faster than you can say “Abracadabra,” I explained why her latest idea was even worse than usual. “What if I accidentally saw him in half?” No loving parent could argue with that.

Next day, Freddy pranced into the living room wearing a top hat that practically covered his eyes, black shirt and pants, and a crooked red bowtie. It was like staring at myself in one of those funhouse mirrors, where everything is exaggerated. And scary-looking.

“Doesn’t he look wonderful?” Mom gushed.

“He certainly does.” Dad put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

I hate mushy stuff as much as anyone, but my parents used to be like that all the time. Until Jake was born and Mom got nervous and Dad got sad and everything changed.

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